Banana Cardamom Cookies

Last year I totally got into the cardamom craze ( if you haven't tried Three Twins Dad's Cardamom ice cream yet, do yourself a favor and go find a pint ASAP ).  When my colleague came across this recipe for Cardamom Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts (via turntablekitchen.com) I couldn't wait to try them out.

As I was gathering the ingredients for the recipe, I spotted an extremely overripe banana ( I seriously think I'd had it in my kitchen for 2 weeks) that I had been saving for banana bread.  In looking over the recipe, I realized I could substitute the banana for the 1/8 cup of white sugar.  My thought was that the sugars had condensed so beautifully inside the peel that they had almost become banana liqueur.  When added,  the overripe banana would add an entirely new/unique flavor profile.  

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
• 1 stick of butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cups of brown sugar 
• 1 extremely overripe banana
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats
• 1/4 cup of toasted chopped walnuts

1.Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

cardamom pods

cardamom sans hulls

grinding the cardamom

I wasn't kidding when I said it was overripe!

2. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar for about 3 minutes on high, and then add the vanilla.  Continue to mix for about 2 more minutes.  When the mixture looks light white and fluffy, add the banana and mix till it's smooth.  Add the egg and mix again until it's fully incorporated.

creaming the sugar and butter

getting my cream on... 4 minutes in

ALWAYS toast your nuts because it 'wakes them up' -
you never know how long they've been sitting on the shelves

3. Add the whisked flour mixture into the sugar mixture on low speed in 3 stages, until just combined. Do not overmix.  Next add in the oats and mix until incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the nuts and chocolate chips by hand.

4. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and dump your dough on top of it.  Wrap securely and chill for at least one hour.  (I did this ahead of time and left it in my refrigerator for 5 days!).  


*This step is very important, because it allows the butter to re-chill.  Later, when the cookies are baked, the water in the cold butter will turn to steam in the oven, leavening (aka making them rise) your cookies.

5. When you're ready to bake your cookies, preheat your oven to 375.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats.

6. Drop cookies by the tablespoon onto prepared sheets, pressing them down slightly to create a small disk. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, and remove them from the oven once the edges are lightly browned.  Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack after one minute.

I brought the cookies to an Oscars party and they were a hit!  The banana adds such a luscious element of flavor to the cookies - so much better than just plan sugar!